Vibrator roller

ABSTRACT

A vibrator including a housing forming a cylindrical chamber, a roller located in the chamber and having a smaller diameter than the diameter of the chamber, air inlet and outlet means to and from the chamber respectively located to cause the roller to roll around the wall of the chamber when air is supplied to said inlet means, said roller having a cylindrical shell with a transverse web extending across the interior of the shell mid-way between the ends of the shell, and secondary masses retained within the shell on opposite sides of the transverse web, the centre of gravity of said masses and hence of said roller being spaced from the central longitudinal axis of the shell.

United States Patent 1191 Best VIBRATOR ROLLER [76] inventor: Fulton J. Best, 1072 Kipling Ave,

lslington, Ontario, Canada [22] Filed: Sept. 5, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 286,135.

Primary ExaminerWilliam l. Price Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Cushman,

Cushman Darby &

[5 7 ABSTRACT A vibrator including a housing forming-a cylindrical chamber, a roller located in the chamber and having a smaller diameter than the diameter of the chamber, air inlet and outlet means to and from the chamber respectively located to cause the roller to roll around the wall of the chamber when air is supplied to said inlet means, said roller having a cylindrical shell with a transverse web extending across the interior of the shell mid-way between the ends of the shell, and secondary masses retained within the shell on'opposite sides of the transverse web, the centre of gravity of said masses and hence of said roller being spaced from the central longitudinal axis of the shell.

5 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PATENTEDFEBIZIBH 3791 629 i SHEET1UF4 VIBRATOR ROLLER This invention relates to pneumatically-operated vibrators which are attachable to or form part of equipment to be vibrated. Such equipment may be a container whose contents it is desired to vibrate or may be a pipe or the like, the vibration of which assist the passage of solid particulate material through the pipe.

Such vibrators may include a housing forming a cylindrical chamber and providing an air inlet and an air outlet to and from the chamber respectively, and a roller located in the chamber and having a smaller diameter than the chamber. The air inlet and outlet are so located that, when airat a suitable pressure is supplied to the inlet, the roller is caused to roll around the wall of the chamber at high speed and thereby cause the housing to vibrate.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved roller for such a vibrator.

According to the invention, a roller for a vibrator of the kind described above has a cylindrical shell with a transverse web extending across the interior of the shell mid-way between the ends of the shell, and secondary masses fixed within the shell on opposite sides of the transverse web, the centre of gravity of said masses and hence of the roller being spaced from the central longitudinal axis of the shell.

Such a roller causes an advantageous type of vibratory motion. The masses may be separate from the shell or web and connected thereto in some convenient manner, or may be integral with the shell or web. The masses may be of any suitable dimensions, and may be adjustably secured to the shell or web so that the position of the masses within the shell can be varied.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a transverse sectional view of a vibrator with a roller according to one embodiment, the section being taken at a position mid-way along the length of the vibrator,

FIG. 2 is an end view, partly in section, of the vibrator of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is an end view of the roller of the vibrator of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the roller taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3,

FIGS. 5 and 6 are views similar to FIGS. 3 and 4, but showing a roller according to a second embodiment,

FIGS. 7 and 8 are similar views showing a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an end view of a roller with adjustable secondary masses,

FIG. 10 is an end view of another roller having adjustable secondary masses, and

FIGS. 11 and 12 are end and sectional views of another roller having adjustable secondary masses,

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, a vibrator has a housing with a cylindrical chamber 2 in which is located a roller 3 of smaller diameter than that of the chamber 2. The chamber 2 has a tangential inlet passage 4 communicating therewith and extending from a pneumatic hose connector 5 at the side of the housing 1. An end member 6 is located at each end of the chamber 2 in a bore 7 larger than the chamber 2, and each end member 6 is retained in position by a circlip 8.

Each end member 6 has an annular groove 9 forming an inner wall 10, which has a series of apertures 11 extending between the groove 9 and the chamber 2, and lying on a circle of smaller diameter than the diameter of the roller 3. The wall of each bore 7 has an annular groove 12 aligned with the groove 9 in the end member 6, and also has a series of radially directed apertures 13 extending between the groove 12 and the exterior of the body, as described in my Canadian Pat. No. 847,627, issued July 28, I970.

The application of pneumatic pressure to the connec tor 5 causes the roller 3 to vibrate the housing 1 by rolling around the wall of the chamber successively uncovering and covering the apertures 11 through which the air can escape into the grooves 9, l2 and thence to the atmosphere through the apertures 13.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the roller 3 in detail, The roller 3 includes a cylindrical shell 14 with a transverse web 15 extending across the inside of the shell 14 mid-way between its ends. The roller 3 may be of any suitable material, and the thickness of the shell 14 and web 15 may be any suitable value. A pair of secondary masses 16 are located on opposite sides of the transverse web 15, and are secured to the web 15 and to the internal surface of the shell 14 in any convenient manner, for example by welding. In this instance, each mass 16 takes the form of a solid cylinder with a diameter slightly less than the radius of the interior of the shell 14, and a length slightly less than the distance between the web 15 and the end of the shell.

The masses 16 thus cause the roller 3 to have a centre of gravity spaced from its longitudinal axis, thereby producing an advantageous vibration of the housing 1 during operation of the vibrator. The diameter and length of the cylindrical masses 16 may be of any suitable value.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show another form of roller in which each secondary mass 17 is shaped as the sector of a circle, with its circumference 18 engaging the interior of the shell 14. Although in the example illustrated, the mass has its apex 19 on the longitudinal axis of the shell 14, it may of course be at other positions. Also the circumferential extent of the sector-shaped mass may be varied as desired.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a roller in which each secondary mass 20 has the shape of a truncated sector, or in other words has radially inner and outer arcuate surfaces 21, 22.

FIG. 9 shows how a secondary mass 23, shaped similarly to the mass 20, may be adjustably positioned. One end portion of the mass 23 is pivotally secured to the transverse web 15 by pivot pin 24, and the other end portion of the mass 23 can be secured in any one of several positions by suitable fastener 25, such as a threaded fastener, securable to the transverse web 15 at any one of the several positions indicated.

FIG. 10 shows how a secondary mass 26, shaped similarly to the mass 16 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, can be adjustably secured in any one of several positions by suitable fastener 27 securable to the transverse web 15 at any one of the several positions indicated.

FIGS. 11 and 12 shows adjustable secondary masses 28 of circular mass section with a diameter equal to the radius of the interior of the shell 14, the masses 28 having one section 29 of greater thickness than the other section 30. In this embodiment, the thicker section 29 extends for The masses 28 are secured to the web by a threaded fastener 31 which extends through an aperture 32 in the web 15 half-way along the radius of the web 15. The secondary masses 28 can be adjusted to any desired angular position about the axis of the fastener 31 before the fastener 31 is tightened to secure the masses 28 and the angular position selected.

I Claim:

1. A vibrator including a housing forming a cylindrical chamber, a roller located in the chamber and having a smaller diameter than the diameter of the chamber, air inlet and outlet means to and from the chamber respectively located to cause the roller to roll around the wall of the chamber when air is supplied to said inlet means, said roller having a cylindrical shell with a transverse web extending across the interior of the shell mid-way between the ends of the shell, and secondary masses fixed within the shell on opposite sides of the transverse web, the centre of gravity of said masses and hence of said roller being spaced from the central longitudinal axis of the shell.

2. A vibrator according to claim 1 wherein each secondary mass is cylindrical.

3. A vibrator according to claim 1 wherein each secondary mass is sector-shaped.

4. A vibrator according to claim 1 wherein each secondary mass has radially inner and outer arcuate surfaces.

5. A vibrator according to claim 1 wherein each secondary mass is adjustably securable within the shell in any one of several positions with respect to the shell. 

1. A vibrator including a housing forming a cylindrical chamber, a roller located in the chamber and having a smaller diameter than the diameter of the chamber, air inlet and outlet means to and from the chamber respectively located to cause the roller to roll around the wall of the chamber when air is supplied to said inlet means, said roller having a cylindrical shell with a transverse web extending across the interior of the shell mid-way between the ends of the shell, and secondary masses fixed within the shell on opposite sides of the transverse web, the centre of gravity of said masses and hence of said roller being spaced from the central longitudinal axis of the shell.
 2. A vibrator according to claim 1 wherein each secondary mass is cylindrical.
 3. A vibrator according to claim 1 wherein each secondary mass is sector-shaped.
 4. A vibrator according to claim 1 wherein each secondary mass has radially inner and outer arcuate surfaces.
 5. A vibrator according to claim 1 wherein each secondary mass is adjustably securable within the shell in any one of several positions with respect to the shell. 